Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer has presided over his third consecutive quarterback battle in spring practice since he became the Crimson Tide coach in 2024. After last year’s starter, Ty Simpson, departed for the NFL via the draft, redshirt freshman Keelon Russell and veteran Austin Mack have been locked in a battle to be Alabama’s QB1 next season.
Kalen DeBoer Discusses Alabama’s Plan to Replace Ty Simpson
In an interview with analyst Rick Burgess on Wednesday, DeBoer revealed the Crimson Tide’s succession plan for Simpson and how Russell and Mack have fared during spring practice in the battle to be QB1 next season.
“I think we got two guys [at QB] that are ready to go, we just got to decide on which one, with Austin Mack and Keelon Russell,” DeBoer said. “They had a great spring, but I expect even more out of these guys. They have that ceiling. That’s a positive that I have those high expectations because they’re capable of big things.”
Because of Mack’s limited playing time due to an undisclosed injury, it was Russell who shone during Alabama’s spring game on April 11. While Alabama did not keep official stats, unofficial media tallies noted Russell threw for over 220 yards and multiple touchdowns, far outpacing the limited reps for Mack and freshmen Jett Thomalla and Tayden-Evan Kaawa.
Kalen DeBoer Outlines Expectations for Alabama’s QB1 Battle
While speaking to reporters at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am golf tournament on Wednesday, DeBoer outlined his expectations for Russell and Mack as they vie to be the Crimson Tide’s starter next season.
“A year ago, there was so much improvement with all of them, even with Ty (Simpson), going from the spring to the fall, he came back and made another big jump. And that’s what I would expect out of these guys,” DeBoer said.
“As good as they did and as nice a job as they had performing in the spring, I would expect them to take another big leap here in the summer. They’re going to work hard. They’re early morning guys. They’re in early, they’re real pros.”
Mack has extensive experience in DeBoer’s system, following the coach from Washington to Tuscaloosa in 2024. He competed against Jalen Milroe to be the QB1 and lost and also lost to Simpson the following season. As Simpson’s backup last season, Mack went 24 of 32 for 228 yards, resulting in 2 touchdowns, while adding 22 rushing yards and 1 score.
Russell went 11 of 15 for 143 yards and 2 touchdowns in limited game time last season. Whichever prospect wins the battle will have a huge task on his hands to improve Alabama’s PFSN College Offense Impact score of 81.7 last season, good for 8th in the SEC.
